When I was growing up in Haiti, there was a very big Baptist church approximately 1 block away from my house. Every Sunday, I would hear the church members sing a song that had 1 line : “Gadon’w Gras” (which translates to Look at this Grace in English). They would say the same line over and over for at least 10 minutes. I used to always sing along, not because I really understood what that meant but I would sing and dance along because the beat was amazing. Fast-foward to 7 years later when I moved to the U.S, I would hear the same song at my family’s church. But this time, I got to be inside the church and see how the people would get so happy when they sang this song. Some would even be on their knees crying. Once again I would sing, still not fully understand what it meant.

Throughout the pandemic, I found myself wondering “What is Grace anyway?” What is it really? How does the bible define Grace? We all know the song “Amazing Grace”. A lot of people have sung this song at least once either at church or at a funeral. So what is it? why is grace referenced so many times in the bible? Why did God tell Paul that his grace was all he needs. Is grace really all that I need?

The more I read the bible, the more I begin to understand Grace and I also begin to understand why that Haitian song “Gadon’w Gras” can go on for hours without any additional words.

Grace makes salvation possible.

Grace is an unearned gift, an unmerited favor we receive from God because of his love for humanity. Not the selfish love that we’ve come to know in this world, but Grace is the love mentioned in John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus coming to die for you & I is the ultimate definition of Grace. His death paid the price for our past, present & future sins. His death made it possible for those of us who believe in him to have access to the Father. Without this unmerited gift of grace, we would all perish. The bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that the wages for sin is death. Wages are the payment you’ve earned after providing a service. Death is what I’ve earned because I am a sinner, BUT I’m so thankful that in that same verse, it says …”but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”. There is nothing that we could’ve done to earn this gift, we are saved by grace and grace alone. God’s grace makes salvation possible.

Grace empowers.

Grace makes it possible for us to be a living sacrifice for God. Because of God’s grace, Jesus left his perfect throne to come die on the cross. But it didn’t end there…Also because of grace, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to come help us live out our Christian life. The bible tells us in Titus 2: 11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”. Not only are we saved by grace, we are also sanctified by grace. God knew when we made the decision to say yes to his son Jesus Christ that we would still very much struggle in our sins, He therefore sent his Spirit to live within us, to be our helper (John 14:26), our guide (John 16:23) to convicts us of our sins and reveals God’s truth to us (John 16:13).

Grace is sufficient.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul tells us that he had a thorn. A thorn is described as a weakness. I too have weakness, a weakness that has kept me from the will of God, a weakness that distracted me and made me doubt myself more times than I could count. When Paul begged God to take the thorn away, in 2 Corinthian 12:9, God said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”. God’s grace is power. This is very real for me because as I mentioned, I too have a thorn that I have begged God to take away. I gave so much power to the thorn that I made it seem as though my God is imperfect. Instead of looking at the thorn as a way for God’s power to be manifested through me, I allowed the thorn to cripple me and keep me from trusting God’s perfection and allow his grace to flow through me. But let me tell you, recently by me understanding God’s grace, I started to appreciate my thorn. As Paul said, when I am weak, then I am strong. Therefore, instead of leaning on my fear, I’m learning to lean on God’s grace for his grace is sufficient.

Grace pursues us daily.

David asked in Psalm 8:4 “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” This is a question that I have to ask myself as well, who am I that God gave me this unearned gift called Grace. By his grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved, sanctified, filled with his power and we are pursued every day. As David said In Psalm 23:6, “His goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life”.

Thank you for taking The time to read about God’s grace, You are and will always be appreciated. When you ask yourself “What is Grace Anyway?” The answer will surprise and confound you. It’s a gift from God that you can’t earn and we certainly don’t deserve, so why Does God give it to us. That answer is simple LOVE, know one loves you like God loves you. God bless and don’t forget to keep Chasing God’s Way/ve.

Written By: Rachelle St Albord